Vatican Gives 'The Blues Brothers' an Official Seal of Approval

Jake and Elwood Blues were always quick to tell people they were on a "mission from God" -- and now they've got a second religious endorsement, this one coming from the Catholic Church. The Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, has christened The Blues Brothers a "Catholic classic" and said it should be viewed by Catholics the world over. Who'd have guessed the Pope was such a John Belushi fan?

As our own Eric Snider pointed out recently, the film is a comedy, but it does have some well-defined ties to religion (aside from the whole "mission from God" thing). Eric points out that while God wouldn't approve of all their actions, Jake and Elwood definitely have their hearts in the right place when it comes to their efforts to save the orphanage. He goes on to suggest that "most religions would say that's the most important thing anyway," -- and it seems he was right.

Directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, the film follows Jake and Elwood on a holy quest to raise money for the church-run orphanage where they grew up. Along the way, they run afoul of the cops, a neo-Nazi group, and Carrie Fisher while trying to get their blues band together to raise the funds. The Blues Brothers now joins an illustrious list of films to receive the paper's approval -- including The Passion of the Christ, The Ten Commandments, and Joan of Arc amongst others. One of these things is not like the other ...